A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of art of tractor-trailers.
B. Prior Art
Straight trucks are those which have an integral chassis in which there is no relative movement between the cab and the load carrying section. These trucks are used extensively for such uses as over the highway transporting, in city service as well as for special purposes. One special purpose straight truck is a fuel transport vehicle for jet refueling at an airport. Such refuelers have tanks which carry fuel to an aircraft where internal pumps are used to pump the fuel from the tank into the aircraft. Many of these trucks have required two front steerable axles because of the weight distribution over the front axles.
However, these prior refuelers have left much to be desired since they have been specially designed and custom made and thus have been very costly. In addition, the highly complex pumps and controls have been spread out and attached at different positions over the entire vehicle. When any one of these parts has become inoperable, then the entire vehicle has not been usable causing expensive down time of a costly piece of equipment. If the truck engine itself has needed repairs then the entire vehicle has also been unusable. Further, any repairs to the truck engine, pumps and controls have been made much more difficult where airport authorities have not permitted inside shops to be built. Since the only other cover would be a hanger, where fuel tanks are never permitted, all repairs have thus been made out in the open even under adverse weather conditions.
While fuel transport tractor-trailers have been known and mass produced, they have not been used at most airports because of the requirement of maneuvering into very confined spaces around the jet aircraft. Specifically, the area around the jet aircraft becomes congested with baggage trucks, generators, catering trucks, etc. Under these adverse conditions, only a very highly skilled driver may be able to so intricately maneuver a tractor-trailer without hitting the aircraft itself or other vehicles or objects. A collision might cause a fuel spill which is a completely unacceptable risk since the dumped jet fuel if it were ignited would cause a catastrophic loss of life and property. Maneuvering a tractor-trailer requires the highest skill when backing up close to a very costly aircraft where a mistake (even without dumping fuel) would cause serious damage. Since most airlines and airport authorities have had difficulty in obtaining an assured supply of such highly skilled drivers, tractor-trailers have been in the main proscribed as refuelers.